As a parent, you have many concerns about raising your child. One of the most common concerns is how to raise a child who has both “roots to grow and wings to fly”, or a child who is grounded but able to reach their goals. We often worry about our parenting methods, but it is not as difficult as many believe to raise a child who is confident in themselves.
As a Grandparent, I watch my children raise their children with admiration and pride. I hope that I am able to have some influence on their raising their children…. with confidence.
10 ways to raise a confident child
1. Nurturing Your Child as A Baby
It is important to teach your child they are loved when they are young so they can grow up knowing they always have someone they can come to. Forming a strong bond with your child from the time they are born will ensure you always have a connection with them.
2. Improve Your Own Self-Confidence
You are a role model to your child. This means if you are a confident person and motivate them to become the same, they will have an easier time feeling safe and secure in who they are. Confidence comes from knowing yourself and being okay with the person you see in the mirror.
3. Be Positive
Negativity has a terrible impact on a person’s self-esteem. If you are constantly negative about yourself and the world around you, your child will mimic your negative feelings.
4. Play with Your Child
Playing with your offspring is important. It ensures you are spending quality time with your child and allows you to nurture them and help promote their creativity.
5. Set Your Child Up to Succeed
Expectations from parents hold a huge effect on their attainment, but it is important that the child should eventually choose their way forward. As in life, there will be some failures, but remember that your child then needs support not criticism. People will say that the true measure of success is how many times you bounce back from failure and each time your child will be learning and moving towards success. Your child’s confidence will grow through victory, but will drop through failure.
6. Give Your Child Special Jobs at Home so They Feel Valued
Allowing children to help around the home will help them to feel as if they are needed in the family. If a child feels like they are of no use, their image of self-worth will diminish quickly.
7. Encourage Your Child to Express Feelings
Expressing emotions and feelings are extremely important as human beings. When a person bottles up their feelings, they will begin to turn their thoughts to become negative and will start to doubt themselves.
8. Give Your Child Boundaries
It is healthy for a child to have rules and restrictions which set up boundaries. These rules will teach your children responsibility and ways to manage themselves. If a child is allowed to do whatever they please, they will become stubborn and lazy; resulting in poor treatment of other people.
9. Help Your Child Achieve Realistic Goals
Succeeding is one of the best ways for children to grow their self-esteem. As a parent, if you can help your child to reach a few goals within their grasp, they will learn that you are there for them and will know they can trust you to always have their best interest in mind.
10. The Joy a Grand-Parent Has in Helping a Child’s Confidence and Self-Esteem
The role of Grandparents has always been important but with many Mum’s returning to work along with Father’s also working, the role for regular care from a Grand-parent has become central to many families in the 21st century.
Grand-Parents are the “other” adults in a child’s life who can teach them discipline and respect, as well as love- and of course, you can spoil them! Children often have a special relationship with their Grand-Parents. This can provide extra security for the child to understand that the extended family plays an important role and that it is a “treat” to stay with the parents of their parents. Of course, they raised you, after all!
Listen to your child. If they need a shoulder to cry on or an ear to vent to, be there for them. Knowing someone is looking out for them will really help to boost their self-esteem and will help ease your mind with the knowledge that your child has high self-confidence.
Do come back with any comments or questions.
We have a training day at Champneys Spa, Ashby de la Zouch on September 28th. The workshop is on “Celebrating Retirement” and will cover lifestyle decisions and financial planning as you approach Retirement.
gill@goldcoachuk.com
www.gillmathias.com
01530 589216